But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Parallel translations
- WEB But now Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruits of those who are asleep.
- KJV But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
- BSB But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
- NASB But the fact is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.
- NLT But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
But Christ has truly been raised as the first fruits of those who sleep. It matters because His resurrection guarantees the resurrection of all who belong to Him.
Overview
After the hypotheticals, Paul declares the glorious fact: Christ is risen. As the 'first fruits,' His resurrection is the firstborn pledge of a coming harvest of resurrected believers. The image assures Christians that their own rising is certain because Christ has gone before them in victory over death.
Cross-references & the web
Theme
- Resurrection"Christ has been raised, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."
Cross-references · 7
- Rev 1:5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood;
- 1 Cor 15:23But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then those who are Christ’s, at his coming.
- Acts 26:23how the Christ must suffer, and how, by the resurrection of the dead, he would be first to proclaim light both to these people and to the Gentiles.”
- 1 Pet 1:3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
- Col 1:18He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
- Rom 8:11But if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
- 1 Cor 15:6Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 15:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.